


Hearties of Gold

by adverbialstarlight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Family, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Pirates, Sailing, Treasure Hunting, pirate slang, so much pirate slang, written for a zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-31 16:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21449047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adverbialstarlight/pseuds/adverbialstarlight
Summary: Captain Keith and his rag tag crew of pirates continue their search for the end of a curse and pile of gold, and run into the Galra once again.(Written for the Serendipity: Keith AU zine.)
Relationships: Keith & Voltron Paladins
Kudos: 15





	Hearties of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> hey, so i wrote this a long time ago (clearly, as i don't really write vld anymore.. oops) but serendipity is all finished up and we can post our pieces now! i liked this one so i thought why the hell not, so i present to you my pirate collab that was done with my friend [vy](http://ladvy.tumblr.com/) whose art is embedded or can be seen [here](https://ladvy.tumblr.com/post/189095355358/dont-repost-my-collab-piece-with). enjoy!

As a mercenary, Keith was more than used to seeing unusual, nearly impossible things. Glass potion bottles filled to the brim with fire, businessmen with rattlesnake skin scarves, bored brothel girls who had an affinity for knives, practically _ everything _. Or so he thought, until this current assignment.

His crew was in Altea on a supplies trip today, finally ready to leave after being docked for two days. Of course, this meant they were running down the streets with a really big, really pissed off vendor running after them—most likely because of the assortment of vegetables Pidge and Lance just swiped from his stand.

Romelle dropped a rope from the ship and Lance jumped on deck, dropping his vegetable sacks. Pidge tossed the two sacks she’d been carrying up to him and Lance caught them easily. He tossed them to the side then hoisted Pidge up as well.

“Hunk, cut the ropes. We’ve got no time for undocking,” Keith shouted, running to the end of the wooden platform. He let himself fall into the gap of open ocean and threw his own sack of supplies over his shoulder before grabbing the last rope hanging off the main deck. Keith scaled it quickly, gesturing to his first mate as he climbed into the ship. “Lance, lets go!”

“Aye, captain!” Lance said, running to pull up the anchor. “Romelle, Coran, sails! We’re going now!”

Hunk sliced through the ropes with a dagger and he grabbed the rope Keith left hanging down, just missing the blade of the pursuing baker’s sword. As they pushed away from the dock, Keith and Pidge hoisted him over.

Hunk held up the last bag of supplies and grinned. “Whew, that was a close one. Who knew potatoes were so heavy?”

“Well, at least we’ve got potatoes now,” Shiro said. “Did you really have to cut through the knots though? I spent like ten minutes on those and now we need to use the new rope next time we dock.”

Hunk shrugged. “Captain’s orders. Also, you’ve got to admit it looked kind of badass.”

Keith rolled his eyes, ignoring them as he stepped over to the wheel with Lance. “Alright, now that we’ve got what we need, it’s time to get going again. From here we should head south, the Galra might—”

“There are far better ways you could’ve done that, Captain,” a melodic voice interrupted.

Keith was unphased as he turned to the bow spirit where a woman surrounded by a faint turquoise glow was perched. “We’re pirates, Allura. Not all of us are able to just live off the energy and vitality of the ocean,” he told her.

When your ship’s figurehead was actually a water spirit whose soul was bound to the ship and gave your crew freaky prophecies about how they had to go find some hyper intelligent sea monsters— even if it would most likely just result in all their deaths— it was hard to be surprised by anything. _ This _was the most impossible experience Keith ever had, and he was sure it’d never be topped.

“If we’re going to end the chase before solstice, we need to get as much food as possible so we can keep going without stopping,” he said. “And, if you couldn’t tell already, we don’t have much food on the ocean.”

Allura looked as if she wanted to argue but shook her head. “Alright, if you insist. “Carry on.”

“We should head south,” Keith said again. “If Hunk’s map is correct, there’s a chokepoint where luxury goods are traded. The Galra haven’t hit it and it’s not far from where we last saw them, so it might be their next target.”

Lance grinned and turned to the others. “Oi, you heard the man, let’s go hearties!” he shouted. Everyone stood, taking their positions. Lance put his hands on his hips and turned back to Keith. “You good, Captain?”

Keith nodded, turning towards the ocean. “We’re going to find them this time, I can feel it,” he said quietly.

“Hell yeah,” Lance said, slapping him hard on the back. “You’re gonna beat these suckers and we’ll all be rich! I’ve got faith in you, Keith.” With that, Lance turned and left Keith alone with the sea.

It was still odd hearing things like that, words of hope and encouragement, but it was also… nice. When Keith first stole this ship from Shiro years ago, he was just another street rat orphan in one of the few but heavily crowded trade cities, reliant on his sleight of hand, wit, and speed.

If someone had come up to that Keith—always angry and unpleasant, with a steel exterior developed by living on the streets—and told him that in a few years he’d be one of the greatest captains on the Twelve Oceans, with a crew he considered family and the promise of a fortune’s worth of gold, he’d have laughed. Perhaps would spit in their face and tried to swipe their wallet. Those things didn’t happen to kids like him outside of storybooks, and yet here he was. And the gold from this quest was so close that he could taste it, could see it, and—

There was a shout from Pidge in the crow’s nest, breaking into Keith’s thoughts. “Avast ye!” she called down.

Keith’s eyes snapped away from the ocean and he straightened. “What is it?” he called up to her, brows furrowed in confusion.

“A Galra fleet's headed right for us,” Pidge relayed, frowning. “It could just be a ruse with the flag, but I’m pretty sure that I see uh, tentacles? So yeah, unless there’s any other crew of purple tentacle cat things out here that has a reason to start pointing canons at us, it’s the Galra.”

Allura apparated into the crow’s nest, starling Pidge. Before she could fall over though, the water spirit caught her easily by the wrist and said, “I fear she is right. I will do what I can to assist you, but you'd best prepare for battle before they get any closer. The sails on a Galra are not like a normal one’s.”

“This isn’t our first squabble with them,” Keith told her, eyes narrowing as he pulled his sword from its sheath. “Let’s end this tonight,” he called out to the rest of the crew, “and tomorrow we will be rich. Ready cannons!”

Keith couldn’t help the small smile forming on his lips as he started pulling out his large golden earrings. He tossed the first hoop into Lance’s waiting hand without thought. It was a familiar routine, and Keith was filled with a renewed spark of determination to finish this ridiculous feud.

“Sail ho!” Pidge called.

Keith blinked, and suddenly the ship was only a few feet away, the Galra with their own cannons and tentacle arms jeering as they pulled up. Allura had been right, the Galra seemed to travel faster than expected almost every time Keith encountered them.

He startled, reaching for his sword automatically. The rest of the crew wasn’t entirely done with their preparations, but there was no time. What they had would do for now, if there was one thing Keith knew it was that this life waited for no one. They had to attack now or the opportunity would be blown.

Keith let out a battle cry, pointing towards the other ship, and the White Lioness’ crew rushed forward, swinging on ropes and launching off of loose boards into the Galra’s ship.

“Leave no quarter!” he snarled.

From the Galra ship, Shiro sliced through one of the Galra’s tentacles and tossed the rope he’d come over on to Keith in a quick movement. Keith took hold of the rope with an appreciative nod and swung over quickly, legs outstretched so that another enemy fell upon the impact of his boot. Letting out a satisfied huff, Keith unhooked his cutlass. He started making his way across the ship to search for the captain, a spot of bright red in his jacket and captain’s hat as he weaved between individual battles.

It only took a few minutes to find the leader—another faceless Galra with long, slimy tentacles where most had limbs and a captain’s hat similar to Keith’s own perched atop his head. He tried to keep his face blank as the captain turned to him, adjusting his feet into a fighting stance.

“Today is where this ends,” Keith said, pointing his cutlass at the Galra’s chest.

It let out the Galra equivalent of a laugh and backed up, pointing its own sword back at Keith. “Oh? Is that so?” it asked in amusement. “We shall see.”

They lunged forward at the same time, metal clanging against metal as Keith blocked the first strike. He shifted and made his own jab towards the Galra, eyes narrowing as it parried easily. Their fight blended in seamlessly with all those happening around them, though it was the most important one as well. If—no, when—Keith defeated the captain, the rest of the crew would have no choice but to surrender, and the White Lioness’ crew would finally be able to get their treasure.

Allura would be freed from the boat and Coran would no longer be a parrot, Keith supposed, but it was far less significant to him and the others.

He could practically taste the wealth now as he spun to block another hit and kicked out to throw the Galra captain off balance. It was the most challenging fight he’d experienced to date, but the adrenaline coursed like electricity through his veins and Keith couldn’t help but grin as the fight continued.

“Is that all you’ve got?” the Galra sneered, swiping out and tearing the sleeve of Keith’s jacket.

He scowled at it, pushing back against the Galra’s sword with gritted teeth. He’d had this jacket for years and had grown quite attached to it and a giant tear in the sleeve did nothing to preserve it longer. Keith sliced at one of the Galra’s tentacles and it hissed in pain, backing up quickly.

“We’ve got far more to give than this,” Keith said, “but do you?”

He went in for the final blow, letting the Galra fall to the ground with his sword in its chest and a victorious frown on his lips. After a moment, Keith turned around to face the rest of the ship and pulled his sword out of the Galra’s chest, raising it with a shout.

Everyone turned to him, and cheers went up from his crewmates. Galra dropped their weapons, some jumped ship and some ran or begged for mercy, but Keith paid them no mind. Instead, he grinned at his crew proudly and let the golden ichor drip from his sword slowly, reveling in the victory for a moment.

A few hours later, they had pillaged everything valuable from the Galra ship and were on their way again.

Many from the crew were sitting on the deck, sipping wine and singing sea shanties as Lance plucked a tune on a small instrument, and Allura was beaming as she talked quietly in the corner with Coran and Romelle. Keith was off to the side, watching it all with his own small smile.

This was his family, and he was damn proud of them. There was only one thing that could make it better.

“So now that your curse is broken, we’re gonna, like, get that gold you mentioned, right?” Hunk spoke up, as if reading Keith’s mind.

Allura looked up. “Of course. However, you’ve got to go find it first,” she said innocently.

Keith stared at her for a moment, shocked. “Oh sink me,” he muttered. Still, there was a small smile on his lips as he said it. It was onto the next adventure, and Keith could live with that.

**Author's Note:**

> the end! thanks everyone reading, i hope this didn't disappoint. as mentioned before, i don't really write vld anymore <s>blame aftg and raven cycle oops</s> but i will be posting a few other (voltron) zine pieces in the future so fear not? this zine was super fun to be part of, and see you all next time!
> 
> can catch me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/adverbialnouns) or [tumblr](http://adverbialstarlight.tumblr.com)


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